Millen tabbed Avalanche's new head coach

May 23, 2011

New Avalanche head coach Corey Millen played for five NHL teams during his 14-year professional career.

The Alaska Avalanche has announced that Corey Millen has been named the team’s new head coach. He replaces Brian Huebel, who, along with assistant coach Sean Fish, left to accept an assistant coaching position with the Wichita Falls Wildcats.

Millen, who has previous head coaching experience in the North American Hockey League with the Wasilla Spirit/Avalanche organization, was most recently serving as vice president of the Alaska All Stars youth hockey association.

“The opportunity to welcome such an experienced, enthusiastic and well-connected coach like Corey is a huge asset to our organization, especially our players,” said Avalanche general manager Dave Boitz. “He’s well respected not only in the local hockey community, but among his peers in the collegiate and professional ranks across North America, and we’re excited for him to build on our program’s success, on and off the ice, for years to come.”

A standout college player at the University of Minnesota from 1983-87, Millen, from Cloquet, Minn., went on to play 14 years of professional hockey in North America and Europe.

Millen, a third-round selection of the New York Rangers in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft, played for five NHL teams - the Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames - scoring 209 points on 90 goals in 331 career games.

“This is a great opportunity and one I’m excited to pursue,” said Millen. “It’s no secret the NAHL is one of the top junior leagues in North America and I’m very much looking forward to building on the Avalanche’s already-strong foundation of developing outstanding hockey players and community-minded citizens.”

In his only season as the Avalanche’s head coach, Huebel, who served as an assistant coach in 2009-10, forged a 32-22-4 regular-season record and a berth to the Robertson Cup Playoffs.

“We can’t say enough about what Brian has brought to our organization over the past couple of years and we wish him and Sean nothing but the best in Wichita Falls,” said Boitz. “They’re both outstanding young coaches with bright futures ahead of them.”